In search of a better quality of life, fulfilling our dreams to see the world and provide ourselves and young children with invaluable experiences, we sold our home and possessions in London to begin our journey of a lifetime.
Here we will share our tips, stories, successes and failures, not only for our families and friends, but also to assist those who may have similar adventures in mind. We hope also to inspire those who relish the idea of travelling to newer and unfamiliar pastures but do not know how and those who require some evidence it can be done.

Liverpool

11 December 2011

ALMOST every dad who has a son will probably admit he’d like his child to share his passion. But in my case, I’m not sure Zenchai is too fussed about football. He's curious, but not exactly bursting with interest, which is okay. Cars, thus far, have been his first love and possibly always will be.

Yet when I decided to visit the stadium of my team, Liverpool Football Club, I gave Zenchai the option of coming along and, without bursting with enthusiasm like I’d said let’s go to Mercedes Benz World, he opted to come along.

So, wearing our Liverpool shirts (Zenchai had on his full kit), we drove the hour-or-so up the M6 and M62 from Huddersfield for what was, for me, a unique experience. How else can you sit in the changing room and dugout, walk through the players’ tunnel, stand by the pitch, go into the press room, see where the old boot room used to be and touch the famous Liverpool badge, just as the players do on the way out before a match?

Included on our tour of the stadium was also a ticket to enter the museum, where there are trophies, shirts, boots, programmes, medals, balls and all sorts of other artifacts from Liverpool’s glorious past (emphasis on the past as they haven’t won anything recently).

I expected there to be just a handful of people on the tour, especially as they take place almost every day on the hour, but there had to be around 60 people – from Britain and abroad - on the day Zenchai (who was by far the youngest) and I went.

A guide talked us through the stadium, telling stories along the way – of how the boot room was created by legendary former manager Bill Shankly (pic of his statue above) and how and why it was demolished; how the Kop, the largest unobscured football terrace in Britain, came to receive its name; why the dressing room floor is worth more than Andy Carroll; how the club anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ came to be and so on.

After the tour, you can visit the shop, which is vast, or even the club restaurant, where you get a discount on food with a stadium tour purchase.

You are advised to book in advance for the stadium tour on the club website - www.Liverpoolfc.tv – which is what I did, but there were people turning up and paying on the day, often at short notice.

Parking was free in the Centenary Stand car park, but the whole package cost £24 (£19 for adults and £5 for under-16s).

Although it was cold, windy and wet the day we went, it was an enjoyable experience, but perhaps lost a little on Zenchai. He asked questions and seemed curious. He had hoped to see King Kenny walking around. But when I asked him at the end what he liked the most, he told me, “Seeing the [toy] Liverpool bus in the shop.”

Similarly, while the guide was explaining a story about how the Kop used to hold 36,000 people (three times what it does now) and people would often collapse and be passed over the top down to the front to receive medical assistance, Zenchai excitedly interrupted me to say, “Look, daddy, I see a car badge [pointing to one of the advertising boards in the stadium].”

And when the tour was all but done, Zenchai turned to me and said, “I had a question, but she [the tour guide] has finished.”

I told him there was still a chance. So we found her and he asked, “Where do the players park their cars?”

She told us and how goalkeeper Pepe Reina always has the same parking spot, but she couldn’t tell Zenchai what he really wanted to know – what cars each player drove.

What can I say? He is obsessed. But whether your boy – or girl – likes football or not, it’s a worthwhile excursion. Definitely so if you support Liverpool FC.

If I were to go again, I’d opt for the Legends Tour, which is admittedly more expensive (£35 for adults, £18 for under-16s) but gives you the option of choosing from a list of former stars (John Aldridge, Ian Callaghan, who still holds the record for having played more times for Liverpool than any other player, Jimmy Case, David Fairclough, David Johnson, Alan Kennedy, Jan Molby, Phil Neal) to take you around the magnificent club.